Ghosts of Empire (Book 4 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  Kelsey saw the twinge of some dark emotion on the other woman’s face before she smoothed it out. “It’s quite sad. Yes, we’re taking them directly to a hospital where they can get every bit of assistance possible. We should go inside to speak, though.”

  * * * * *

  Abigail put in an appearance at her office so that she didn’t draw undue attention by her absence. She read the report about the meeting between Admiral Mertz and Olivia and tried not to see red. They’d selected Lord Hawthorne’s estate for their dialogue and she knew from experience that the man protected his privacy.

  For someone not entangled in politics, the man had an electronic security team second to none. No bugs ever survived more than a day. Most only lived for a few hours. And getting them inside the building wasn’t easy.

  If she hadn’t known that he never meddled in serious matters, she’d have suspected him of being up to some plot or another. But, other than being old friends with Olivia, he seemed disconnected from people of power, except in social situations.

  Frankly, the man was vapid, so she easily dismissed him from consideration.

  After about an hour, Abigail left her office and made her way through the council building to a private air car that one of her aides had left for her. That assured her of privacy. The government tracked all official vehicles.

  Her driver took her directly to her family’s agricultural facility where she’d decided to house her guests. The automated harvesters roamed the golden fields without need of human supervision. This allowed her a reasonable expectation of conducting her affairs unobserved. No one would question her presence.

  Her car landed outside a large storage warehouse and she stepped out. The loose organic matter in the air made her sneeze. She hated the countryside. It was so dirty.

  One of the private guards came out to escort her inside. He didn’t say a word, knowing better than to talk to her. At least he learned to respect his betters with only one object lesson.

  Temporary cells housed the prisoners and a dozen additional guards made certain that no one felt like trying anything heroic. That might change when the time came to eliminate them. Even animals would try to survive in the end, even if they had no chance.

  Abigail spotted the man in the lab coat bustling around a chair set up against the far wall and she made her way to his side.

  “Are you ready, Doctor Nelson?”

  The bespectacled man turned toward her with a start. “I didn’t hear you come in, Deputy Coordinator! My apologies. Yes, everything is ready.”

  “Then bring in the first prisoner and get this started. I can’t be gone for long without raising suspicion.”

  “I prefer the term subject. It makes this less personal.”

  She waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t care what you call them. Just do it.”

  The man gestured to a pair of guards waiting nearby. They went out and retrieved a female prisoner. She struggled as they strapped her to the chair.

  Nelson taped a number of monitors to her face and neck. “This will not harm you in the slightest, my dear. Of course, that doesn’t mean it will be painless, but pain is transitory.”

  The woman tried to hit him with her head. Only the guards saved him from a nasty blow to his face. Belatedly, he pulled back.

  “My name is Linda Montoya,” the woman snarled. “I’m in Fleet service and you have no right to do this.”

  Abigail admired the woman’s spunk. She didn’t sound nearly as uneducated as someone from the lower orders should. Perhaps they really did give them an education in Fleet. That could be helpful, under the right circumstances.

  She came close enough to catch the woman’s attention, but not so close that she was within striking distance. “We have every right to do whatever we please, up to and including executing you. I suggest you remember that. Your very existence revolves around answering my questions as straightforwardly as possible. If you waste my time, you won’t live to regret it.”

  “You don’t really have a choice, my dear,” Nelson said. “The drugs I’m going to administer will make being untruthful quite challenging. The monitors I’ve placed on you will get a baseline very quickly and administer corrective shocks to encourage compliance. And, before you determine not to answer at all, I feel compelled to warn you that excessive resistance could endanger your life.”

  Montoya defiantly stuck her chin out. “You can all go screw yourselves.”

  Nelson turned to Abigail. “This isn’t a promising start.”

  “Just get on with it. If the questioning kills her, dump her body back in her cell to encourage the others to cooperate.”

  Nelson shrugged and gave the Fleet woman an injection. “This will take a few minutes to achieve full effectiveness. I can see that you’re inclined to resist and I’d prefer you didn’t. We’re not monsters.”

  The woman glared at Abigail. “I’m not sure that even you believe that.”

  Abigail stepped forward and slapped the woman with all her strength, sending some of the monitoring devices flying.

  “Mind your place, prole, or I’ll have you beaten.”

  “You talk big, bitch. Take these straps off and we’ll see who does the beating.”

  “You think you have the option of talking back to your betters?” Abigail asked. “Then you’re more of a fool than I expected. I can make an example of you that will get the next prisoner to tell me what I want without using drugs.”

  The woman laughed. “Then you don’t know us at all.”

  Nelson finished reattaching the leads. “We’re ready to begin tuning the monitors to the subject.”

  “Why are you telling me?” Abigail snarled. “Get on with it.”

  He asked the woman a few questions of a general nature, but she refused to answer them. Nelson shrugged and raised a virtual lever on his console. The woman cried out when the monitors administered a corrective shock.

  “Every time you fail to answer,” Nelson said, “I’ll move that up another notch. Your screams will be quite instructive to your companions.”

  The woman’s response was colorful, physically impossible, and incorporated disgusting acts with farm animals. Abigail reached past the scientist and moved the lever up two notches.

  After a few minutes, the lever was almost two-thirds of the way to the top. Even though the pain made the woman scream, Abigail was impressed that she still refused to answer. She had to respect the woman’s willpower.

  She turned to Nelson and spoke in a low voice. “As entertaining as this is, I’d prefer answers to my questions. Do you think you can break her without killing her?”

  The scientist looked back at the sweat-covered woman bound to the chair. “I’m not sure. She’s remarkably determined, even in the face of the drugs. Perhaps she has some innate resistance. That’s not unheard of.”

  Abigail considered the prisoner and consulted her watch. “I’m on a tight schedule. If she dies, she dies. Get on with it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  William Hawthorne engaged Kelsey with a wide smile as he escorted her to his home. “You’re a bit of a mystery, Kelsey. May I call you that? And you must call me William.”

  She smiled politely. “Of course you can. How am I a mystery?”

  “I fancy myself something of a history buff, and while I’m not an expert on all things Fleet, I’ve never heard of a special operations officer. One whose rank is secret.”

  “That’s part of what makes people like me more effective,” she said. “The lack of general knowledge about us, that is. I’m afraid I won’t be whispering any secrets in your ear. My apologies.”

  The man’s eyes twinkled. “Well, then, I’ll just have to figure out for myself. I’m quite the amateur detective. Of which I read quite a bit. I’m afraid that I’m addicted to books about sleuths. If I might say, you’re quite well armed for someone with an escort.”

  His outright curiosity and charm was refreshing, but Kelsey didn’t let down her guard.
“I promise not to use them unless I have to. I do hope there aren’t any unpleasant surprises. Your home looks very beautiful. I’d hate to put any inconvenient holes in it while I get Admiral Mertz to safety.”

  “I assure you, there shall be no surprises of that nature on my property,” he said seriously. “Coordinator West has given me her word that this will be a peaceful gathering. Informal, even. While this isn’t the primary home of my family, it’s been in our possession for generations. Craig and I are quite fond of it.”

  She had to admit it seemed like a nice place, sprawling and old. It looked comfortable. Stone walls covered in ivy, a dark slate roof, and a lawn manicured within an inch of its life.

  “It’s quite beautiful. I’m certain that your assurances are good enough. As a lord, you must have many interests.”

  The man’s smile widened. “I’m afraid I’m one of those people that coasts on the work of their forebears. I’m something of a social butterfly, really. I do quite a bit of charity work. Craig is an engineer, so I don’t feel as though we aren’t contributing to society at all. As for politics…” He shuddered. “I wouldn’t put one toe into that viper’s nest.”

  Kelsey smiled. “I’ve thought the same thing a number of times.”

  He led them all through the wide doors leading into the house. “I’ve taken the liberty of setting things up in my den. There’s only one entrance, so some guards can remain outside the door while others are inside. I’ve also selected some of the best Harrison’s World has to offer in the way of refreshments.”

  Kelsey had to admit the room was homey. Expensive looking dark furniture and the room looked very lived in.

  Something else she noted were the servants William had looking after them. Tall, muscular, and fit. Her implants quickly identified a number of concealed weapons on them. They doubled as guards. Or perhaps they were security filling in for the normal staff.

  It only took a minute of watching them to link them to William Hawthorne rather than the coordinator. They watched their master for cues.

  Jared’s marine guard came in with them while her escort remained out in the hall. William closed the doors behind them.

  You’re inside scanner shielding.

  It took every bit of her willpower not to jump at the unexpected voice in her head. It was the electronic ghost of Ned Quincy.

  You shouldn’t be able to initiate contact with me like this.

  The other’s mental voice seemed to take on a wry tone. Something must’ve changed. I seem to have some small amount of latitude now that I’ve become aware of a possible threat to you. This room is shielded against signals. I thought you should be aware of the situation.

  This new turn of events was unexpected and more than a bit disturbing. She wondered if it had something to do with the changes Invincible had made to the program’s code.

  Well, she didn’t have time to worry about that right now.

  She made a show of examining the plaster on the ceiling. It was very pretty, but it concealed another surprise. She couldn’t see any heat sources above her. A glance at the walls showed the same. Even the marines outside the door were invisible. The room was indeed shielded. Nothing blatant. All very subtle.

  Kelsey attempted to access the marines’ monitor equipment. She couldn’t sense that either. No signals were going in or out.

  “What do you think?” William asked her. “I can’t take credit for the building, but the furniture was all my work. Not constructing it, of course. Only selecting it.”

  She gave him her full attention. “It’s very nice, though I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’ve made some interesting modifications to the structure of this room. Unless the whole house is shielded, of course.”

  He cocked his head. “I’m not certain I catch your meaning.”

  “I think you do, Lord Hawthorne,” she said formally. “This room is shielded so that no signal goes in or out. IR, implant communication, and possibly most other forms of signal. If you want to put me at ease, I’m not sure this kind of subterfuge is the way to go.”

  He bowed low. “My apologies.” Some of the playful tone he’d used before was gone. “I often speak with others on matters they would prefer to remain private. Most don’t even notice that there’s a shield at all. You’re most perceptive.”

  “Others have used scanner shields like this to hide an ambush. I’ve grown nervous when I can’t see what others are doing around me. I’m afraid situations like that often lead to inconveniently large explosions. I’d prefer it if you allowed me to communicate with the marines.”

  “That presents something of a conundrum,” he said. “Coordinator West would prefer that these conversations remain private, yet I’d like to accommodate you.”

  Kelsey dug a combat remote from a pouch on her belt. “If you could open up an authorized channel for this device, I could maintain contact with the guards without placing a large hole in your privacy. No one else can use it. I can narrow it down to a single frequency and it will warn me if anyone else is on it.”

  He took the remote and examined it curiously. “What is it?”

  “It’s a combat remote. It allows me to extend my senses into dangerous places—like ambushes—and target my enemies without exposing myself.”

  His expression told her he was impressed. “You must do more fighting than I’d imagined possible. Forgive me, but you aren’t the most imposing of people, Kelsey.”

  She felt the corners of her mouth tugging upward. “You’d be surprised.”

  “I’ll speak with my people on allowing this device access. I don’t want any of you to feel as though this is an ambush. Excuse me for a moment.”

  William went back out of the room, conspicuously leaving the doors open. Kelsey reestablished communication with the marines. More importantly, she reconnected with the high-powered link in one of the marine’s backpacks.

  It had the strength to connect her implants with the pinnace and its scanners. With them, she could watch every approach to the building.

  Jared would take the lead in the negotiations. She’d focus on making sure no one attacked them while he was busy. She wanted to trust that these people wished them no harm, but they were part of the Rebel Empire. Both of them had implants and could be deeply in the AIs’ pockets.

  She’d stay on high alert. If they had betrayal on their minds, she’d make them regret it.

  Her mind crept back to the unexpected ability the Ned Quincy program had demonstrated in contacting her and observing her environment. That had her even more on edge. It was changing. She needed to understand what that meant and put a stop to it if it was dangerous. One more thing to worry about.

  * * * * *

  Olivia settled into one of the comfortable chairs and devoted her attention to Admiral Mertz. She’d selected a juice from the western continent. William always had the best selection. The others followed her lead.

  “The exchange shouldn’t take more than a few hours,” she said. “Shall we discuss how we proceed from here?”

  “I thought that was settled,” Mertz said. “We would send the Fleet personnel from the station to you in exchange for our people. I don’t have a lot of leeway to offer you the outright freedom that you want.”

  “I need to convince the ruling council to approve that deal,” she said. “As you know, getting others to agree to a plan they don’t want to hear is never easy. I’m not actually speaking to that, though. I’m talking about an itinerary while you’re here. I assume you’ll want to see your people.”

  William came back in from the hall and closed the doors. He and Miss Bandar joined them near the fireplace.

  She shot him a message through her implants. What’s going on?

  Miss Bandar spotted the privacy shielding. She requested an exception for her to maintain communication with their people. I agreed. I also consulted with my head of security about the scans he took as our guests entered the building.

  Olivia
waited a moment and then mentally sighed. Don’t make me beg. What did you find?

  Miss Bandar is heavily enhanced. Graphene sheathing on her bones, artificial muscles, and other internal equipment that isn’t completely clear. Olivia, as far as I can tell, she really is a Marine Raider.

  That set Olivia back on her mental heels. Her clandestine research indicated the AIs had decided the Raiders were too dangerous after the rebellion. They were entirely too capable. As far as she knew, the Empire didn’t even make the equipment for that kind of enhancement anymore.

  This only deepened the mystery about her guests.

  The mental communication had only taken a few moments. Admiral Mertz was just now responding to her statement. “Absolutely. I’d like to see them as soon as possible.”

  Miss Bandar cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, Admiral, I’d like to see if Lord Hawthorne could show me around the city.”

  The nobleman smiled widely. “Finally, a task I’m suited for. I know all the most interesting places in the capital. We have some wonderful architecture and cultural sites.”

  Olivia nodded. “That sounds like an excellent division of labor. We can return here for dinner. Then you can make the decision to either stay the evening or return to your ship.”

  They spoke for a while longer, but the conversation kept coming back around to the prisoners. It was as if they were an itch that Mertz couldn’t scratch. Finally, she decided they just needed to go see them.

  She rose to her feet. “Perhaps you’d like to go see your people now? I’ll take you to see the prisoners in the hospital first. A number of them arrived with serious injuries, though most have recovered and been returned to their fellows. Maybe a half dozen of the most badly injured are still under care. I’d be happy to return them to you as a gesture of goodwill.”

  “If they can be safely transported, we would appreciate that.”

  “Consider it done, then.”

  She led the way out. Her official air car had a boxy appearance, due to its heavily armored nature, but she knew from experience that it could go much faster than most people thought possible. It had advanced grav drives and compensators.